Oil-refinery condenser



Jan. 20, 1931. J. PRICE OILv REFINERY CONDENSER I 5. 1929v 2Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 1 lNvz-:NroR .fsep/'l prima frs A'rroRNEYsJan. 20, 1931. l Ll pRlCE 1,789,880

OIL REFINERY CONDENSER Filed April 15, 1929 2 sheets-sheet 2 INVENTORJosep/7 P/v'e Patented Jan. 20, 1931 UNITED VSTATES PATENT, OFFICEJosErn PRICE, or srArLEToN, NEW Yom:

OIL-REFINERY. CONDENSER Application led April 15, 1929. Serial` No.855,090.

- This invention relates to heat exchangers adapted particularly forcooling and liquefy` ing vapors resulting from the distillation ofpetroleum and, more generally, for cooling gases or liquids of any kind.The primary object of the invention is to provide an improved surfacetype heat eX- changer in which the expansion and contraction of thetubes is provided for effectively and at small manufacturing cost.

Another object of the invention is to provide a heat exchanger in whichcomparatively high pressures can be accommodated in the shell withoutthe expense of bracing the shell sides.

Another object of the invention is to provide a heat exchangerconstruction which is commercially practicable because of its simplearrangement and low cost of manufacture.

' -The invention will be understood from a consideration of thefollowing description taken in connection with the accompanying` idrawings," in which Fig. 1 is a plan view of the heat exchanger with theupper left hand portion broken away and showing the tube bundleintransverse section.

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the heat exchanger in which the upper lefthand corner is broken awa to show a portion of the shell and tube undlein central vertical sec'- tion, and the left hand portion of one of thetube bundle caps is also broken away to ex pose the ends of the tubes.Fig. v3 is aside elevation with the left hand portion broken away andshowing a vertical section of the heat exchanger shell taken centrallyof the shell.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary section of the upper left hand portionof Fig. 1 showing certain details of construction.

Figs. v5 and 6 illustrate a modification, Fig. 5 being a horizontalsection on line 5-5 of Fig. 6, and Fig. 6 a vertical section takencentrally through Fig. 5. i

Referringto Figs. 1 to 4 of the accompanying drawings, the shell 10 ofthe heat exchanger is cylindrical or substantially cylindrical in form,and the tubes of the tube bundle 11 extend transversely across the ,ishell from one curved side to the other. The

walls of the shell 10 are punched or drilled on opposite sides to,receive the ends of the tubes. The tubes are inserted in these alignedholes and eachv end of the tubes is then expanded after the customary.manner of securing tubes. in tube sheets. In 'fact the drilled areaslof the shell constitute curved tube sheets which are made integral withthe side walls of the shell, the side walls themselves being curved tothe same radius of curvature as the tube sheets.

The tubes of the entire tube bundle are preferably all of the samelength for the sake of convenience, and the ends of the tubes willtherefore project b varying amounts beyond the exterior surface of the*.shell, as indicated in the drawings. ln

order to provide for delivering and controlling the flow of Huid throughthe interiors of the tubes, these projecting tube ends on each side ofthe shell are covered by means of flanged members 12 and 13 havingflanged caps 14 and 15 removably bolted thereto. Y The flanged members12 and 13 surround the projecting ends of the tubes 11 and are curved ontheir inner edges to conform to the curvature of the shell 10. They arewelded to the shell along the peripheries of these inner edges, so as tomake a tight joint theref with and they form a chamber at each end ofthe tube bundle which is capable of withstanding considerable pressure.

The outerends of the flanged members 12 and 13 extend just beyond theends of the tubes so as to protect them when the caps 14 and 15 areremoved. The heat exchanger illustrated in the drawings by way ofexample is an eight-pass heat exchanger, that' is, the liquid is passedeight4 times across the heat exchanger shell before being allowed toleave the tube bundle. This is accomplished' by subdividing the chambersat each end `o f the tube bundles by means of partition walls 16 withinthe flanged members 12 and 13,. and ribs 17 in the caps 14 and 15 whichregister with these partition walls.

The partition walls 16 are placed in between the projecting ends o f thetubes and- A welded to the surface of the shell 10 while the ribs 17 aremade integral with the caps 14 and 15, these caps being made preferablyof cast iron. The arrangement of the' partition walls 16 at each end ofthe tube bundle is indicated in the drawings. Fluid connections foradmitting and discharging fluid to the interior`of the tubes of the tubebundle are made with any of the chambers formed by partition 16 and rib17 to obtain the de-v sired circulation of fluid.

Inthe heat exchanger illustrated, a flanged connection 18 communicateswith the uppermost of these chambers in cap 14, and a second flangedconnection 19 with the lowermo;t chamber in the same cap. The fluid, forexample cooling water, can be admitted through either of theseconnections and discharged through the other one. Assuming 'that itenters at the top, the cooling water will flow through the first passconsisting of the uppermost group of tubes to the opposite end of thetube bundle where it will bedelivered bymeans of the chambers formed inthe cap 15 to the next lower group of tubes by which it will pass backtoy cap 14. The flow continues in this-manner through the eight passesand ilnally the Water leaves the 100 pounds per square inch and thesame4 pressure may also be used on the fluid within the tubes.

The iluid, for example oil vapors whichl are to be condensed, enters theshell 10 through a central inlet opening 22 in the top closing disc 20,and the condensate leaves the shell through a similar opening 23 in thebottom closing disc. Because of the thickness of the-se closing discs,it is unnecessary to provide separate flanges for connection and theflanged pipe connections are studded directly to the surfaces of theclosing discs 20 as indicated by the stud circles surrounding theopenings 22 and 23.

In order to direct the incoming vapor over the surfaces ofthe tubes 11,transverse blanking olf` plates 24 are positioned to fill the spaces oneach side of the tube bundle at the top, and longitudinal bailles 25 arealso mounted at the sides of the tube bundle 11.

The longitudinal balles are held in place by shouldered tap bolts whichare set into longitudinal bars 26 that are Welded to the interiorsurface of the shell along each side of the tube bundle. The holes inthe baille plates are made considerably larger than the bolts so as toallow for expansion and contraction without stressing the baille plates,and the bolts are provided with spring washers to hold the baille platessnugly in place.

The tube bundle 11 illustrated in the drawings consists of 432 -inchoutside diameter No. 14 B. W. G. steel tubes. The tubes may, however, bemade of copper or other non-ferrous metal if desired.

The modified form of heat exchanger illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6 issimilar in dimensions and construction to the form just described inconnection with Figs. 1 to 4 inclu; sive except that the ends of thetubes, instead of being secured directly in the walls of the shell, aresecured in separately formed tube sheets which are mounted upon oppositesides of the cylindrical shell.

To this end the shell 10 is provided with apertures 29 which in the formshown in the drawings are rectangular in shape, inwhich tube sheetmembers 30 and 31 are mounted. These tube sheet members are preferablymade in the form ofsteel castings which are separately attached to theshell around the v periphery of the openings 29 by means of rows ofrivets 32 or by welding. The lateral and longitudinal extents of thesetube sheet members are such as to leave-a considerable space at'bothsides of the tube bundle and also at the top and bottom of the tubebundle for a purpose which will hereafter appear.

With this form of construction the tube sheets formed in the tube sheetmembers 30v and 31 are flat so that the apertures for the tubes can bemade somewhat more easily than in the case of the construction shown inFigs. 1 to 4 inclusive. Also the ends of the tubes of the tube bundle 11project uniformly beyond the tube sheets.

- The tube sheet-members 30 and 31 are provided .with partition walls 16corresponding to those shown in Figs. 2and 3 for the purpose ofco-acting'wi-th ribs 17 formed on the interior of the caps 14 and 15 forthe purpose of controlling the flow of liquid through f the tubes.

The diameter of the shell of my improved heat exch-anger is madeconsiderably larger than the width of the tube bundle so as to giveconsiderable curvature to the sides of the shell opposite the sides ofthe tube bundle and thereby permit these sides to flex or becomeslightly distorted `under the forces accomp anying expansion andcontraction of the tubes of the tube bundle. This flexing is evenlydistributed throughout the sides of the shell, and some flexing may evenoccur in the portions of the shell which serve as tube sheets in Figs. 1to 4. The flexing of these portions of the shell will be relativelysmall, however, but in any event the moving of the axes of the tubeopenings which accompanies this flexing is taken up in a. slight bowingof the tubes without placing severe strain upon the tube joints.

- The shape of the tube bundle in end View is preferably rectangularsince in this way the maximum number of tubes can be placed in a givenarea. Also the tube sheets, either the integral form shown in Figs. 1 to4:, or the separate form shown in Figs. 5 and 6,

are then parallel with the sides of the shell and the stresses caused byexpansion and contraction are evenly distributed lengthwise 'of theshell. The tubes can be arranged, however, in bundles of' circular,elliptical or other cross-sectional shape if desired. The ends of theshell are extended both above and below 'the tube bundle so as tofacilitate the further distortion of the shell under the forces ofexpansion and contraction whenthe ends of the shell are closed bynon-flexing members such as the closing discs 26).

In heat exchangers used for oil refining Work, it is necessary toprovide for frequent cleaning of the tubes because of scale formingimpurities which are present in the cooll ing water available in manylocalities. This accessibility is provided for in the present heatexchanger by the mere removing of the caps 14 and 15 after which thestraight tubes of the tube bundle can be readily cleaned in any ordinarymanner.

The improved heat exchanger of the present invention has been'found tobe of extremely practical construct-ion because of the u fact thatprovision for compensating for the expansion and contraction of thetubes has been provided for in an extremely simple and inexpensive Way.Moreover, thev same principles of construction which provide for"expansion and contraction also provide for exceptional strength in theshell. The pres.-

ent heat exchanger therefore can be manu- ,factured at extremely lowcost and at the in the tubes.

. same time is welll adapted use where considerable expansion and.contraction is apt to take place and Where relatively high pressuresmust be employed both in the shell and The foregoing is -Ato beconsidered as a mere exemplifying disclosure of my invention, and theinvention includes such variations as come within the terms of theappended claims. n A

1. An apparatusv of the type described comprising a shell substantiallycylindrical in cross section, a pair of tube sheets operativelysupported opposite one another by the cylindrical sides of the shell,and a bundle of tubes having their ends secured in the tube sheets andextending transversely of the cylindrical shell, ,the cylindrical shellbeing substantially larger in diameter than the'width of the tube bindleso as to leave flexible portions in the sides ofthe shell between the`tube sheets for taking up the change in length of the tubes caused byexpansion and contraction.

2. An apparatus of the type described comprising a shell substantiallycylindrical in crosssection, a tube sheet-supported by each side'of theshell, and a bundle of tubes operatively supported by the tube sheetsand extending transversely of the cylindrical shell, the lateral extentof the said tube bundle -being substantially less than the diameter ofthe shell, and the longitudinal extent of the tube bundle beingsubstantially less than the length of the shell so as to leave flexibleportions in the sides of the shell surrounding the tube sheets fortaking up the change in length of the tubes caused by expansion an'dcontraction.

3. An apparatus of the type described comprising a pair o -tube sheetshaving a bundle of tubes mounted `Itherebetween, a shell for supportingthe tube sheets andv directing iuid into Contact with the exteriorsurfaces of the tubes, the sides of the shell joining the sides of thetube sheets extending outwardly from the tube bundle in sweeping curvesand forming iexible portions for taking up the change in length of thetubes caused by expansion and contraction.

4. An apparatus of the type described comprising a shell substantiallycylindrical in cross section, a pair of tube sheets'operatively rsupported opposite one another by the cylindrical sides of the shell, abundle of tubes having their ends secured in the tube sheets andextending transversely of the cylindrical shell, the cylindrical shellbeing substantially larger in diameter than the Width of the tube bundleso as to leaveiexible portions in the sides of the shell for taking upthe change in length of the tubes caused by expansion and contraction,bailles transversely positioned at the top of the tube bundle forfilling the spaces between the sides of the tube bundle and the sidesVof the shell, and bales arranged longiby causing the fluid inthe shellto be held in 4` Contact with the surfaces of the tubes.

5. An apparatus of the type described comprising a shell substantiallycylindrical in cross section, a bundle of tubes having their endssecured in the sides of the cylindrical shell and extendingtransverselyv thereof, the cylindrical shellbeing substantially largerin diameter than the width of the tube bundle so as to leave flexibleportions in the sides of the shell for taking up the change length ofthe tubes caused by expansion and contraction, and chambers surroundingthe protruding ends of the tubes at each side of the shell for directingthe ilow'of fluid through the tubes. 125

6. An apparatus of thetype described comprisinga tube bundle and a metalenclosure for sai-d bundle, at least a portion of said enclosure having4edges fixed with respect to the ends of the tube bundle and' havingsubstan- 130 tially the entire section intermediate the said edgescurved to provide sulicient flexibility to accommodateexpansion andcontraction of the tubes. ,n

7. An apparatus of the type described comprising a pair of tube sheetshaving a bundle of tubes mounted therebetween and a shell having sidesjoining the sides of the tube sheets and extending outwardly from thetube bundle in sweeping curves and forming ilexible portions for `takingup the change in length in the'tubesl caused by expansion andcontraction.

8. An apparatus of the type described comprising a shell substantiallycylindrical in cross section, a pair of tube sheets operativelymounted'opposite one another on the cylindrical sides of the shell, abundle of tubes having their ends secured in the tube sheets andextending transversely of the cylindrical shell, the cylindrical shellbeing substantially larger in diameter than the Width of the tube bundleso as to provide flexible portions in the sides of the shell for takingup the change in length of the tubes caused by expansion and the endsofthe cylindrical shell, the shell being substantially larger indiameter than the width of the tube bundle so as to provide flexibleportions in the sides of the shell, between the tube sheets for takingup the change in length of the tubes caused by expansion andcontraction, and the said tube bundle being spaced apart from saidclosure plates.

In testimony whereof- I aiix my signature.

JOSEPH PRICE.

contraction, andbales arranged longitudinally at the sides of the tubebundle thereby causing the Huid in the shell to be held in contact withthe surface of theitubes. l

9. An apparatus of the type described comprising a shell substantiallycylindrical in cross section, a pair of tube sheets operatively mountedopposite one another on the cylindrical sides ofthe shell, a bundle oftubes having their ends secured in the tube sheets and extendingtransversely of the cylindrical shell, the cylindrical shell beingsubstantially larger in diameter than the width ofthe tube,

' bundle so as to provide iexible portions in the sides of the shell fortaking up the change in length of the tubes caused by expansion andcontraction, battles arranged longitudinally at the sides of the tubebundle, and means for preventing the by-passing of fluid around-the tubebundle, between the said battles and the l 10. An apparatus of the typedescribed comprising a pair of tube sheets vhaving a bundle of tubesmounted therebetween, a shell having sides joining the sides f the tuben sheets and extending outwardly from the tube bundle insweeping curvesto provide flexible portions for takin up the change in length of thetubes caused y expansion and contraction,'means for supplying fluid tothe shell and means withinv the shell for conlining the fluid in contactwith the external surfaces of v the tubes.

` 11. An apparatus of the type described comprising a shellsubstantially cylindrical in f

